Matthew Henry Commentary 1 Kings 17:8-16

"And the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand. And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, The jar of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Jehovah sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat [many] days. The jar of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Elijah." — 1 Kings 17:8-16 (ASV)

Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, and some, it is likely, would have welcomed him to their houses; yet he is sent to honour and bless with his presence a city of Sidon, a Gentile city, and so becomes the first prophet to the Gentiles. Jezebel was Elijah's greatest enemy; yet, to show her how powerless her malice was, God will find a hiding place for him even in her own country. The person appointed to entertain Elijah is not one of the rich or great men of Sidon, but a poor widow, in need and desolate, who is made both able and willing to sustain him.

It is God's way, and it is his glory, to make use of and to honour the weak and foolish things of the world. O woman, great was your faith; one has not found the like, no, not in Israel. She took the prophet at his word, that she would not lose by it. Those who can venture on God's promise will not hesitate to expose and empty themselves in his service, by giving him his part first. Surely the increase of this widow's faith, enabling her so readily to deny herself and to depend upon the divine promise, was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace as the increase of her meal and oil in the kingdom of providence.

Happy are all who can thus, against hope, believe and obey in hope. One poor meal this poor widow gave the prophet; in return for it, she and her son ate for over two years during a time of famine. To have food from God's special favour, and in such good company as Elijah, made it more than doubly sweet. It is promised to those who trust in God, that they shall not be ashamed in evil time; in days of famine they shall be satisfied.